


Shattered

by aeducans



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Disabled Inquisitor, Gen, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 09:44:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16930923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeducans/pseuds/aeducans
Summary: Ghilanel's secret isn't as secret as she thinks.For DADWC on tumblr, with the prompt, "You found me crying on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night surrounded by a shattered jelly jar."





	Shattered

The worst part wasn’t even that she’d dropped the jar. It was hardly the first time she’d dropped something, though this was a more spectacular mess than normal. No, the worst part was that she’d dropped the broom when she’d started to try to clean it up. Somehow, that was what broke her, sent her to her knees where she just started crying. Only softly, but it had been so long since she’d been back to Skyhold and she only wanted something warm and familiar. A piece of bread, warmed in a pan over the fire, with butter and jelly spread on it, and she couldn’t even have that.

It spoke volumes about the man’s natural grace that she didn’t even hear Bull approaching, but his voice slipped in between her sobs to make itself heard. “Boss, you OK down there? Do you need a healer?”

Ghilanel sniffed and lifted her head. A healer–oh. “No. No, it’s raspberry. I’m all right.” She lifted one hand to wave him off but otherwise didn’t move.

“Yeah, I can smell that. Not why I was asking. You’re shaking like a leaf down there.” Ghilanel gasped and lifted her hand from where it was bracing her on the floor, clasping them both together in front of her. How much had he seen?

“It’s nothing, just low blood sugar. It’s why I wanted something to eat.”

“Most people leave breakfast until the morning for that kinda thing.” This time she did hear him move, getting closer, until a massive hand appeared in her peripheral vision, open with the palm up. “And most people don’t knock a darkspawn on the side of their head with the flat of their sword then try to say they meant to do that. Or claim they missed an armor strap because it makes it easier to ride when they never did their gear up like that before.”

Sighing, Ghilanel slipped her hand into his, borrowing his strength to get to her feet. “If anyone would notice, I should’ve assumed it would be you.” Her blood suddenly ran cold and she looked up at him. “You haven’t told–”

“No. It’s not in any letters and I haven’t told anyone here. I figure, when you’re ready for people to know, they’ll know. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for for you. If you keep doing stuff like this, though, it’s gonna make it harder for your secret to stay that way.” His tone was measured but his face was sympathetic.

“I know. It’s… it was happening before I ever even imagined coming here, but the Mark and the fighting and the stress, they all make it worse. Tonight was just worse than usual.” She looked around at the splatters and shook her head. “I should have known better.”

“How were you supposed to know? You fed yourself fine at dinner, no reason to think you couldn’t right now. At first I thought maybe you and Solas just tried something different and it left you–”

“Bull. Please.” But she couldn’t help but laugh, and that was Bull’s way sometimes, wasn’t it? It broke the tension in the kitchen at the least, pulled her a little out of the dark frame of mind she’d been slipping toward.

“All right, all right.” He gave her hand a squeeze before letting go. “Just because that’s why I’m up, doesn’t mean that’s why everybody’s up. Now, let’s get this place cleaned up before the kitchen staff think somebody got murdered in here tonight. I know I don’t wanna have to explain that. I’ll sweep, you wipe. Sound good?”

“Sounds great, Bull. And thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](http://sulevinblade.tumblr.com)!


End file.
